[ It's not entirely too hard for Yuri to track Andy down. For that matter, it wouldn't be too hard for him to track anyone down, if only because of a very particular set of skills.
Those same skills lead him to pop right up behind Andy without so much as a sound before he simply says: ]
Yuri?! Jesus Christ, put a bell on if you're gonna be ambushing people in the woods! You scared the crap outta me...
[Andy is, naturally, a fairly high-strung person - especially when strolling around the perimeter of town, occupying his free time in making sure something didn't decide to slither out of the woods to menace the more defenceless occupants of the town.]
Edited (WAIT IM DUMB this is before dogs) 2023-01-29 14:11 (UTC)
not even an ounce dumb, we've defo had the dog and pony show
[ Who or what is a Jesus Christ? Yuri honestly hasn't any idea, but it must be some deity where Andy hails from if he's using an exclamation like that. ]
I thought what with your soldierly background you'd have an inkling I was there.
[ All smiles. No, he did not expect Andy to detect him at all...but he was curious. The possibility exists that someone would see him coming. Or smell him, he supposes, considering they have beastmen among their number, and nothing else around town smells of lilacs this time of year. ]
[He can only sense sneaky espers! Their ESP always had a specific resonance he picked up on before they fully manifested - though the problem was he only got that warning the exact nanosecond before they appeared, so it was a very useless warning - like everything with his powers, sometimes.]
I-I was distra- wait. [Andy fully ran what Yuri said through his brain.] When did... I never told you I was a soldier.
[ The way Andy tends to go into a tactical line of thought during some discussions, even the way he dresses himself, bespeak a soldier to Yuri. Andy had said before he'd never really dabbled in dressing simply to look good, either. It all adds up to a clear image in Yuri's mind.
Well, moving right along. ]
Anyhow, there was something I wanted to pick your brain about.
[Andy grimaced slightly, but reluctantly let the soldier comment go. It wasn't as if he kept it a major secret, so likely Yuri put it together from context clues.]
Well, I don't know if you happened to notice Kuja acting...not himself, a while ago. Random bits of destruction and all that. But I know a little something about it, and I've got some concerns.
[ Here he is, phrasing this as casually as possible, like it's not alarming from someone with that kind of magical power. ]
...I mean, Kuja's a bit of a drama queen, so I thought he was just being, y'know, dramatique.
[Also, after beating him up the one time, Andy had shuffled Kuja into 'pest, but not dangerous' category. He was just like any other esper that had a crippling reliance on their powers. Once it was taken away, it was like beating up a frail, Victorian child: that is to say, it made Andy feel bad at the one-sidedness of it all.]
I'd call it more serious. [ Tiringly so. ] That last time...that wasn't him, that was his angry little guest. Who apparently despises him, just to make it more fun.
[ He'd gotten the drop on her this time, but next time...? Yuri can't be so certain, even if he's already devising plans just to be safe. ]
Doesn't have an ounce of control over that power of his, either.
[Possession? Okay, fine. Whatever. Not the weirdest thing to happen in this place.]
I mean, if I was stuck with him for 24/7... [he trailed off with a huff, realising his joke may be inappropriate] But I hear you. Last thing we need is an esper of his power going around, blowing shit up by accident...
[He paused fractionally, clearly weighing something in his mind. It wasn't a secret... quite a few people already knew about it, and Kuja already did (he got a little creepy-weird about it too, yeah, he remembered those disturbing faces he made when he realised Andy could just no-sell all of his spells), but it just didn't come up with Yuri. Not that he felt like Yuri would be weird about it, but...
The question was, why was Yuri bringing this up with him? Unless he already knew? Ugh, he probably already knew, just like how he had Andy pegged as an ex-soldier.]
Ugh, I'm gonna have to beat him up again, aren't I? [He scratched the back of his head, looking more exasperated than daunted at taking on a mage of Kuja's skill] Well, his angry little guest, I mean.
Killing him only worked halfway, I'm sorry to say... [ Yuri huffs out a long-suffering sigh, clearly put out by this. ] Knocks him back into the driver's seat, restarts some bizarre little countdown before she overtakes him again...or so he said when he was good and plastered afterward.
[ What a pain.
Why is he telling Andy all this? Because Andy's a combatant, same as him. And maybe he's something orbiting being some sort of friend, not that Yuri's any good with parsing those kinds of sentiments. So he simply doesn't. ]
I get the feeling he didn't want it to dislodge her, like he's latched onto a powder keg, refusing to let go, for some fool reason.
[Andy just stared at him for a very long moment, his expression which could only be described as 'what the fuck are you talking about, Jesse'.]
Uh, 'kill'...? We don't need to kill him. I mean, I thought with you coming to me...
[Wait, did that mean Yuri didn't know??? He was just telling Andy to, what, complain or commiserate? He almost reeled, amazed and confused in equal measure. Wait, did that mean Yuri saw him as a friend or something? Huh.
Anyway, he quickly pushed that revelation aside for something more important: preventing murder (even if the repeat victim is Kuja).]
...uh, I can just, um, suppress his magic. Trust me, he has noodle arms. I don't think he can even snap a twig. So, without his powers, he's about as dangerous as... I dunno, a baby?
[ And Andy's words confirm a little something Yuri overheard the other day. Even so, it essentially solves only the half of the problem that Yuri's approach didn't. ]
That's a neat trick... But how would that keep him from getting overtaken again? Possessed, I guess, since that's someone else's soul.
[ He did also want to complain though. Who does something that foolish and then continues doing so, despite admitting that he doesn't know how to prevent that same thing from transpiring again.
Hm, that's trickier. It would depend on how the consciousness interacts with Kuja's...?
[It could be like Metempsychosis? Some espers could force their consciousness into other organisms: animals, people, anything with a brain, they could hijack - except this time, the hijacking was internal, rather than from an outside source. Andy could disrupt it, but how to make it permanent...]
In my world, there's something similar to this. Espers who have the ability of Metempsychosis called 'Replace' can hijack another person's mind and operate their body like a puppet. Technically possession, and easy enough to disrupt if you're me. But if it's coming internally, then... maybe I can...
[Could it be like Hyoubu? Just boxing it off? Except it's a sentient mind, and not raw, limitless power. Well, he quantified infinity and returned it to finite, what's fencing off a sentient mind into the corner of someone's brain? Even if that was more hypnotism than nullification...]
...if the mind functions like a rogue piece of ESP, maybe I can just suppress it, so it doesn't possess him anymore. Mind, this is more like psychometry or hypnotism, but I can give it a shot. If it doesn't work, I'll just permanently take away his offensive magic, so this other person can't hurt others unless they, uh, get a knife or something.
[ It sounds to Yuri like Andy's got ideas, and better yet, that ability of his may resolve the matter of Queen Brahne one way or another. That's more than he could have hoped for, having expected little more than having someone else in the loop on this if they're all still trapped when it transpires again.
Yuri somehow doubts it will be that easy to catch Brahne with her guard down a second time. Not that he wouldn't try if it came right down to it — the idea of someone being trapped in his own body unable to do anything is horrific, regardless of Kuja bringing it upon himself. ]
Well, that'd be a load off my mind... Here I was thinking I'd have to sneak into his house when that time rolled around again and lace his cosmetics with poison. No way I'm getting in throwing range twice.
[ Brahne was many things, it seemed, but Yuri doesn't take her for the kind of fool who'd let him get close enough to force Kuja back into control the same way. ]
[Note to self: do not piss off Yuri, goddamn. Andy sighed heavily and shook his head, but let that slide for now. Either way, looked like Kuja wasn't just some arrogant, puffed up esper that he needed to bonk on the head every so often. He was a legitimate threat that... Andy wanted to peacefully neutralise without any fuss or pomp. As much as espers still irritated him, he no longer despised them with resentful bitterness. Though, even when he had carried enough self-hatred to drown a normal man, he didn't have the capacity to be intentionally malicious to his fellow espers.
He cared too much, even if his life would've been a thousand times better if he hadn't cared at all. He would've been set if he just kept on being a good little lapdog, betraying his own kind to his Normal masters - but instead he went 'native'. What did his handler say... he was 'infected'? Yeah, something like that.]
Whatever works, I guess. It's not like death is permanent here. Anyway...
[He peered at Yuri almost curiously.]
...you're not, uh, unnerved or anything, are you? About me being able to take away people's powers, I mean.
He's the one who told me death wouldn't last, and how the gems work. Ideally, he would've been tethered and she would've found peace, but...
[ A shrug and a vexed sigh. As Yuri had said, Kuja evidently won't let go of his powder keg even though he damn well should for all of their sakes. If for no one else, he ought to do it for himself... But Yuri can only guess at the shape of whatever desperation drives Kuja to hold onto Brahne.
He'd said he wasn't built to last, something about his soul, but what good was having a volatile extra going to do him?
Yuri has to set these ruminations aside for a later time when Andy speaks again. The question is...odd, to say the least. Yet Andy's clearly expectant, he can see it in the way the other man is watching him. ]
Why would I be uneasy? That's a useful ability to have, if someone's out of control or causing trouble.
[Man, what a can of worms that question was. Andy debated just brushing it off, but hell, he was getting a little tired of dodging and ducking under awkward topics. Even he, a trained infiltrator, got tired of just... hiding.]
...in my world, people think differently.
[He sighed deeply.]
It's kind of complicated, but, y'know when I told you that I was at the bottom of the social ladder back home? Well, that's why. I'm an esper, and my powers marked me as a pariah since childhood. Espers are heavily discriminated against by Normals - uh, that is, normal humans - and it's not uncommon for them to call us monsters or whatever.
But other espers hated me because I could suppress their powers, so... both sides shunned me. Honestly, this is the first time I've been somewhere that no one's made a big deal about my powers and stuff. People just treat me as some guy. Hell, there're skeletons just walking around. I'm practically normal in comparison, which is great.
I know it's easy to say this, but those people are wrong.
[ Plain and simple. Power isn't what makes someone into a monster, it's what they do with it. And Andy has been nothing but a decent guy, in the time that Yuri has known him. He'd sooner judge a man by what he's done with what he has than the things he can't help and had no say in. ]
That doesn't change what you've had to deal with, but you're simply Andy to me. And I've only ever seen you look out for people.
[ To him, that's far more important than whether the man can snap his fingers and nullify his magic. ]
[Andy couldn't help the knee-jerk discomfort - and the guilt. It was easy for Yuri to say that, when he only really knew Andy at surface level. He didn't know that Andy spent such a large chunk of his life angry, hating espers for not accepting him, hating Normals for rejecting him, telling himself he didn't give a shit about anyone, that the only person he had to look out for was himself...
That he trained to be a hunter of his own kind. If Hyoubu hadn't opened his eyes, Andy didn't want to think how many espers he would've dragged into his organisation's greedy hands. How many would've been brainwashed or experimented on because... well, did cruelty even need a reason?]
I've done a lot of shit I regret, and... I'm trying to make up for it now. So, you're only seeing me after I've done all my fuck ups and realised that being angry at everything just makes me even more miserable.
And I'm a man who knows how to kill people quickly, without their notice. Does that sound like a man with clean hands to you?
[ There are precious few saints in the world. Everyone does things they deeply regret, or has a list of them. Whether of their choosing or because needs must or the product of a torturous and bitter life, people did things they felt remorse over.
Does he wish Andy had a better life? Of course he does. Stories like his, at its core, abound in Abyss. ]
The reason I could come to you about this insane situation is because to me, you're decent. I wasn't there for what came before, but being cut up about your mistakes only reinforces my opinion.
[It was a testament to how much Hyoubu had violently shifted his worldview that he didn't even blink at Yuri's casual admission of murder. Truthfully, he was just wondering if Yuri would still think the same if he actually knew what Andy had done. Aside from being a paid traitor, he had also almost caused a bunch of esper children to be kidnapped and brainwashed into weapons (though, admittedly, he hadn't known that was going to happen at the time.
But Andy wasn't going to admit all that just to win this argument about how terrible he was, so he just sighed and waved a hand, visibly dismissing the topic in general.]
If that's what you think... anyway. [Yup, we're changing subjects! Avoidance! It never failed.] Back to the whole Kuja thing. D'we know when he's gonna get possessed or do we have to wait for shit to catch fire or what have you?
[ Yuri sees the deflection for what it is, but he's learned from the last time they strayed into the topic of Andy's past. More to the point, the topic of Andy himself. If he pushes it, they'll just reach some uncomfortable impasse.
But he doesn't imagine his thoughts regarding the man are liable to be changed now. He's seen enough to be sure of that. ]
He did rattle off some numbers when he was drunk the other evening, let's see here...
[ Yuri had the forethought to write it down, at least, so he takes out his notebook and reads the number off to him. ]
[Props for being so well-organised? Andy sighed heavily and crammed his hands into his pockets, giving his head a bit of a shake.]
Well, works out for us, I guess. Alright. Now the question is if we should wait, or if I should just go and ambush him now, get him in a headlock and see if I can smother that unwanted guest of his.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
before all that blood rain round two business
Those same skills lead him to pop right up behind Andy without so much as a sound before he simply says: ]
There you are.
1/2
2/2
Yuri?! Jesus Christ, put a bell on if you're gonna be ambushing people in the woods! You scared the crap outta me...
[Andy is, naturally, a fairly high-strung person - especially when strolling around the perimeter of town, occupying his free time in making sure something didn't decide to slither out of the woods to menace the more defenceless occupants of the town.]
not even an ounce dumb, we've defo had the dog and pony show
I thought what with your soldierly background you'd have an inkling I was there.
[ All smiles. No, he did not expect Andy to detect him at all...but he was curious. The possibility exists that someone would see him coming. Or smell him, he supposes, considering they have beastmen among their number, and nothing else around town smells of lilacs this time of year. ]
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[He can only sense sneaky espers! Their ESP always had a specific resonance he picked up on before they fully manifested - though the problem was he only got that warning the exact nanosecond before they appeared, so it was a very useless warning - like everything with his powers, sometimes.]
I-I was distra- wait. [Andy fully ran what Yuri said through his brain.] When did... I never told you I was a soldier.
[Or did he???]
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[ The way Andy tends to go into a tactical line of thought during some discussions, even the way he dresses himself, bespeak a soldier to Yuri. Andy had said before he'd never really dabbled in dressing simply to look good, either. It all adds up to a clear image in Yuri's mind.
Well, moving right along. ]
Anyhow, there was something I wanted to pick your brain about.
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Oh? What about?
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[ Here he is, phrasing this as casually as possible, like it's not alarming from someone with that kind of magical power. ]
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[Also, after beating him up the one time, Andy had shuffled Kuja into 'pest, but not dangerous' category. He was just like any other esper that had a crippling reliance on their powers. Once it was taken away, it was like beating up a frail, Victorian child: that is to say, it made Andy feel bad at the one-sidedness of it all.]
But if it's something more serious than that...
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[ He'd gotten the drop on her this time, but next time...? Yuri can't be so certain, even if he's already devising plans just to be safe. ]
Doesn't have an ounce of control over that power of his, either.
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[Possession? Okay, fine. Whatever. Not the weirdest thing to happen in this place.]
I mean, if I was stuck with him for 24/7... [he trailed off with a huff, realising his joke may be inappropriate] But I hear you. Last thing we need is an esper of his power going around, blowing shit up by accident...
[He paused fractionally, clearly weighing something in his mind. It wasn't a secret... quite a few people already knew about it, and Kuja already did (he got a little creepy-weird about it too, yeah, he remembered those disturbing faces he made when he realised Andy could just no-sell all of his spells), but it just didn't come up with Yuri. Not that he felt like Yuri would be weird about it, but...
The question was, why was Yuri bringing this up with him? Unless he already knew? Ugh, he probably already knew, just like how he had Andy pegged as an ex-soldier.]
Ugh, I'm gonna have to beat him up again, aren't I? [He scratched the back of his head, looking more exasperated than daunted at taking on a mage of Kuja's skill] Well, his angry little guest, I mean.
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[ What a pain.
Why is he telling Andy all this? Because Andy's a combatant, same as him. And maybe he's something orbiting being some sort of friend, not that Yuri's any good with parsing those kinds of sentiments. So he simply doesn't. ]
I get the feeling he didn't want it to dislodge her, like he's latched onto a powder keg, refusing to let go, for some fool reason.
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Uh, 'kill'...? We don't need to kill him. I mean, I thought with you coming to me...
[Wait, did that mean Yuri didn't know??? He was just telling Andy to, what, complain or commiserate? He almost reeled, amazed and confused in equal measure. Wait, did that mean Yuri saw him as a friend or something? Huh.
Anyway, he quickly pushed that revelation aside for something more important: preventing murder (even if the repeat victim is Kuja).]
...uh, I can just, um, suppress his magic. Trust me, he has noodle arms. I don't think he can even snap a twig. So, without his powers, he's about as dangerous as... I dunno, a baby?
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[ And Andy's words confirm a little something Yuri overheard the other day. Even so, it essentially solves only the half of the problem that Yuri's approach didn't. ]
That's a neat trick... But how would that keep him from getting overtaken again? Possessed, I guess, since that's someone else's soul.
[ He did also want to complain though. Who does something that foolish and then continues doing so, despite admitting that he doesn't know how to prevent that same thing from transpiring again.
It's ridiculous, and what is the point? ]
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[It could be like Metempsychosis? Some espers could force their consciousness into other organisms: animals, people, anything with a brain, they could hijack - except this time, the hijacking was internal, rather than from an outside source. Andy could disrupt it, but how to make it permanent...]
In my world, there's something similar to this. Espers who have the ability of Metempsychosis called 'Replace' can hijack another person's mind and operate their body like a puppet. Technically possession, and easy enough to disrupt if you're me. But if it's coming internally, then... maybe I can...
[Could it be like Hyoubu? Just boxing it off? Except it's a sentient mind, and not raw, limitless power. Well, he quantified infinity and returned it to finite, what's fencing off a sentient mind into the corner of someone's brain? Even if that was more hypnotism than nullification...]
...if the mind functions like a rogue piece of ESP, maybe I can just suppress it, so it doesn't possess him anymore. Mind, this is more like psychometry or hypnotism, but I can give it a shot. If it doesn't work, I'll just permanently take away his offensive magic, so this other person can't hurt others unless they, uh, get a knife or something.
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Yuri somehow doubts it will be that easy to catch Brahne with her guard down a second time. Not that he wouldn't try if it came right down to it — the idea of someone being trapped in his own body unable to do anything is horrific, regardless of Kuja bringing it upon himself. ]
Well, that'd be a load off my mind... Here I was thinking I'd have to sneak into his house when that time rolled around again and lace his cosmetics with poison. No way I'm getting in throwing range twice.
[ Brahne was many things, it seemed, but Yuri doesn't take her for the kind of fool who'd let him get close enough to force Kuja back into control the same way. ]
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[Note to self: do not piss off Yuri, goddamn. Andy sighed heavily and shook his head, but let that slide for now. Either way, looked like Kuja wasn't just some arrogant, puffed up esper that he needed to bonk on the head every so often. He was a legitimate threat that... Andy wanted to peacefully neutralise without any fuss or pomp. As much as espers still irritated him, he no longer despised them with resentful bitterness. Though, even when he had carried enough self-hatred to drown a normal man, he didn't have the capacity to be intentionally malicious to his fellow espers.
He cared too much, even if his life would've been a thousand times better if he hadn't cared at all. He would've been set if he just kept on being a good little lapdog, betraying his own kind to his Normal masters - but instead he went 'native'. What did his handler say... he was 'infected'? Yeah, something like that.]
Whatever works, I guess. It's not like death is permanent here. Anyway...
[He peered at Yuri almost curiously.]
...you're not, uh, unnerved or anything, are you? About me being able to take away people's powers, I mean.
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[ A shrug and a vexed sigh. As Yuri had said, Kuja evidently won't let go of his powder keg even though he damn well should for all of their sakes. If for no one else, he ought to do it for himself... But Yuri can only guess at the shape of whatever desperation drives Kuja to hold onto Brahne.
He'd said he wasn't built to last, something about his soul, but what good was having a volatile extra going to do him?
Yuri has to set these ruminations aside for a later time when Andy speaks again. The question is...odd, to say the least. Yet Andy's clearly expectant, he can see it in the way the other man is watching him. ]
Why would I be uneasy? That's a useful ability to have, if someone's out of control or causing trouble.
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...in my world, people think differently.
[He sighed deeply.]
It's kind of complicated, but, y'know when I told you that I was at the bottom of the social ladder back home? Well, that's why. I'm an esper, and my powers marked me as a pariah since childhood. Espers are heavily discriminated against by Normals - uh, that is, normal humans - and it's not uncommon for them to call us monsters or whatever.
But other espers hated me because I could suppress their powers, so... both sides shunned me. Honestly, this is the first time I've been somewhere that no one's made a big deal about my powers and stuff. People just treat me as some guy. Hell, there're skeletons just walking around. I'm practically normal in comparison, which is great.
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[ Plain and simple. Power isn't what makes someone into a monster, it's what they do with it. And Andy has been nothing but a decent guy, in the time that Yuri has known him. He'd sooner judge a man by what he's done with what he has than the things he can't help and had no say in. ]
That doesn't change what you've had to deal with, but you're simply Andy to me. And I've only ever seen you look out for people.
[ To him, that's far more important than whether the man can snap his fingers and nullify his magic. ]
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[Andy couldn't help the knee-jerk discomfort - and the guilt. It was easy for Yuri to say that, when he only really knew Andy at surface level. He didn't know that Andy spent such a large chunk of his life angry, hating espers for not accepting him, hating Normals for rejecting him, telling himself he didn't give a shit about anyone, that the only person he had to look out for was himself...
That he trained to be a hunter of his own kind. If Hyoubu hadn't opened his eyes, Andy didn't want to think how many espers he would've dragged into his organisation's greedy hands. How many would've been brainwashed or experimented on because... well, did cruelty even need a reason?]
I've done a lot of shit I regret, and... I'm trying to make up for it now. So, you're only seeing me after I've done all my fuck ups and realised that being angry at everything just makes me even more miserable.
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[ There are precious few saints in the world. Everyone does things they deeply regret, or has a list of them. Whether of their choosing or because needs must or the product of a torturous and bitter life, people did things they felt remorse over.
Does he wish Andy had a better life? Of course he does. Stories like his, at its core, abound in Abyss. ]
The reason I could come to you about this insane situation is because to me, you're decent. I wasn't there for what came before, but being cut up about your mistakes only reinforces my opinion.
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But Andy wasn't going to admit all that just to win this argument about how terrible he was, so he just sighed and waved a hand, visibly dismissing the topic in general.]
If that's what you think... anyway. [Yup, we're changing subjects! Avoidance! It never failed.] Back to the whole Kuja thing. D'we know when he's gonna get possessed or do we have to wait for shit to catch fire or what have you?
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But he doesn't imagine his thoughts regarding the man are liable to be changed now. He's seen enough to be sure of that. ]
He did rattle off some numbers when he was drunk the other evening, let's see here...
[ Yuri had the forethought to write it down, at least, so he takes out his notebook and reads the number off to him. ]
...Provided his math was right.
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[Props for being so well-organised? Andy sighed heavily and crammed his hands into his pockets, giving his head a bit of a shake.]
Well, works out for us, I guess. Alright. Now the question is if we should wait, or if I should just go and ambush him now, get him in a headlock and see if I can smother that unwanted guest of his.
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